The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-10-10

" Ia ah III
company which was formed amid the
petroleum excitement. TIE compa.
ny owned nj land, or II they did,
there was no sign OF oil produced,
but the president Of the company was
q Presbyterian elder, snd the treasurer
was an Episcopal vestryman, and n
director was q Methodist class leader,
and the other directors prominent
members OF Baptist and Oongreps.
tional churches. Circulars were got,
ten out telling wha. fabulous pros.
poets opened before this company
Innocent men and women who bad O
little money to invest, and that little
their ell, said. Il don't know any.
thing about this company, bat 80
many good men are at the head OF II
that 1t must be excellent, and taking
stock In 1t must be almost as good as
Joining the church So they bought
the stock, and perhaps received one
dividend so 90 to keep them still, but
after a while they found that the com.
pany had re~organized, and had a diff.
ferent president, aud diff srsnt treas.
urer, and different directors. Other
engagements or Ill health had caused
the former officers OF the
Company, with many regrets, to 70
sign. And sll that the subscribers OF
that stock had 10 show for their
investment was q beautifully orns
mented certificate. Sometimes that
man, looking over his old papers,
CONS s across that certificate, and 1t is
80 suggestive that he vows he wants
none oil the 70 igion that the presi.
dents and trustees and directors OF
that oil company professed. OF
course, their rejection Of religion on
such grounds WAS unphilo-
sophical aud unwise. am
told that n third of tho United
States army desert every year., aud
there are IL. 900 CONTINENTAL triaIs
every year. Is tina, anything against
the United States government that
swore them inP Aud n 30 diers Of
Jesus Christ do iert, Ia tba, anythiog
against tue c1risllsnity which theJ
swore TO support and dtfsnd2 How
do you judse OF the Gu OF a
country2 BY a counterfeit bill? Oh,
you must have pa fence with those
who have been swindled by religious
pretenders. Live In the preseLce
OF Others q fraok, honest, earnest
christian life, that they may be a..
tracted to the same S,vlour up)n
whom your hopes depend.
Remember, skepticism has al ways
some reason, good or bad, for exist.
ing. Goethe's irreligion started when
the ne va came 10 Germany OF the
earthquake a. Lisbon, November /,
l776. That 5000 people should
have persisted In that earthquake and
In the after rising Of the 1agus river
80 stirred his sympathies that he
threw mp his belief in the goodness Of
God.
"0.tes have gone into skepticIsm
from q natural persistence In asking
they eason wby. They have been
fearfully stabbed OF the Interrogation
point. There are 30 many things they
cannot get explained. They cannot
understand the Trinity, or how God
can bs sovereign aud Jet man q free
aRent. Neither q /. they say
l don't understand why q good GOD
should have let sin come into the
world. Neither do l. You say:
Why was that child started In lie
with such dis advantages, while Others
have all physical and mental tquip.
mentf i cannot tell. They 20 ont
Of church on Easter morning aud q
That doctriue OF the resurrection
ms. 30 Il 70 TO me q
mystery beyond unrAvelmsnt. / un.
all the process ,es by which
men get In o the dark. l know them
all. i have travelled witn burning
iset that blis,ered way. The first
word that children learn TO utter Is
generally pspa or mamma. / think
tne first wJrd l ever uttered was
Why2 koow Whist II is 10 have q
hundred midnishts pour their dark
into one hour. Such mon are
not to be SCOT d at, bu helped. Turn
your back upon q drowning man
" o yau lave the rope with which
TO pull him ashore, and let that woman
IN the tbird story OF q house perish In
the flames when you have q ladder
With which 10 help her out aud help
her down, rather than turn you6 back
scofhngly on n skeptidIwhoss soul 10
In more peril than the bodies Of those
other endangered ones possibly can
he. Oh, skepticism Ia dArk
land. There ara men la this
house who would give thousand
worlds N thy posse'std them 10 get
back 10 the placid faith q their fathers
and mothere, aud II IL our place 10
hello them, aud We may help them,
never through their hesds, but always
through their carts. Thsse sksp,ics,
when brought 10 Jesus will be might.
lily stfsc'ed, Tar mlfe 20 than those
Who new 2 examined the evidences oi
christianity. Thomas Chalmers wss
once . skep ic, Robert Hall a tk'p'ic,
ROBERT Newton a skepiic, Christmas
Evans q sseptic. Bat when once with
strong hand they took hold II the
cnariOt Of the gospel, they rol cd Il ON
with what momentuml II address
such men aud women today, | throw
out no scof. ] implead them Ivy The
memory OF the good old days when 81
their mothers knee they saidi Now
| lay me dow 4 b. sleep, aud by th ,ee
days and nights ot . ctflet fever In
wh ch she watched you, giving you
the medicine Al just the Iight tiu y,
aud tufRtI z your pillow when Il wa.
hot, aud with hanus that many yeap
ago tutHsd TO dust, suothsd away your
pam, aud with voice that you will
never htat asai1, unless You join her
In the Detter oouniry, told ,ou "a
never mind Ter You would feel batter
by aud by, aud by tina, dying couch
SHIRE sho looked 60 pale ard TALKED
40 alowly, catching het breath bet wseu
he words. aud ,ou felt an await lone.
iineee cont, Y over you soul. by all
that beg ytu 20 comr back y a tai .
ihs same religion. IL was good
enoa.h for htr Nay, | have n bette
plea than that ! y cad by AL tue
sounds, aud Team, and blood, aud
sroaus, aud A%g,ni'e, and death thto :
" the syn Of q d, who approaches
ynu this momen, With torn brow and
ezra cd hand, aud whipped back,
,nj s.yitg. Come unto me, all We
Who srs weary ald heavy laien, And
"